The Morality of Lord of the Flies

Summary: Provides a Freudian look at the morality of William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies. Describes how Golding used "Lord of the Flies" to allegorically explain that the architecture of a society depends on the morality of the individual rather than a social or political construction, regardless of its inherent merit or esteem.

William Golding wrote of his novel "Lord of the Flies" that the theme was an attempt to explore how the defects society are based largely on human nature rather than the structure of civilization. Golding used "Lord of the Flies" to allegorically explain that the architecture of a society depends on the morality of the individual rather than a social or political construction, regardless of its inherent merit or esteem.

Golding very carefully and cleverly used children as characters portraying the human race. Traditionally, children are seen as immature and dismissible; they are commonly seen as almost less than human because of their underdeveloped physique and mental capacity. While traditionalists may see it as a poor example, Golding counters that children are fundamentally more representative of human nature. Rather than being oversaturated with societal norms and tendencies like adults, children are fundamental in their desires and thought processes...